Book 5 of Psalms is 'coming home'. Entering the promised land. Redemption. Like Deuteronomy it is a prelude to entering a promised land.

1. Key changes in the Psalms
Book 5 of Psalms
Coming Home !
Poetically like Deuteronomy
Pointing to entering the greater promised land with a
greater salvation than the Exodus.
The myriad uses of musical dissonance: above, a
caricature of Arnold SchoenbergCredit...Ralph Steadman
See Musical Dissonance, From Schumann to Sondheim -
The New York Times (nytimes.com)

2. Psalms book 5 is ‘Coming Home” or ‘Entering the
promised land” taken as a whole
Which is what Deuteronomy being prelude to
The structure of Deuteronomy and Psalms book 5
will also have similarities

3. There are three long sermons and
an epithet/postscript in
Deuteronomy.
Psalm book 5 will have 3 runs of
Psalms and a finale

4. The first run of Psalms may
correspond to the first sermon of
Moses which is in Deuteronomy
chapter 1 through the end of
chapter 4 and concerns the
deliverance of the Exodus through
the giving of the law.
All three runs will circle back in
some way to the Exodus
A first sermon of Moses and
a first run of Psalms with
Psalms 107 though 118.

5. Psalm 107
Oh,give thanks to
the LORD, for he is good, for his
steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the
east and from the west, from the north
and from the south.
The redeemed saved from the east
and west and north and south. From
the four corners of the earth
East
West
North
South

6. Psalm 107
The troubles are of a large range of types
Lost without a City
In chains due to sin
Sick near death
In a perfect storm
With forces of nature
The troubles redeemed from
Are from a full spectrum of issues
As if four corners of a world of
problems

7. A first bookend of 3 uses of the right hand of God at the start
and end of a run of Psalms (the 2nd bookend will be in Psalm 118)

8. Psalms 108 through 110 will also be a mini
glimpse of the gospel:
• The enemy ruler/kingdoms of the world judged (Ps
108)
• The betrayed poor man with God at his right
hand (Ps 109)
• The man, the Lord, raised to be seated at
God’s right hand made like Melchizedek until
God makes his enemies at his foot stool (first
half of Psalm 110)
• The enemy ruler/kingdoms of the world judged (with
God is at the man’s right hand as the man, the Lord,
participates in dealing with his enemies) (second half
of Ps 110)

9. God will deal with his enemies, like Edom (the Herod family). God will
knock them off the pages of history throwing His shoe at them Moab will
be like a wash bowl. God will have a victory shout over the Philistines.
Psalm 108
Enemies defeated in a dismissive way by God

10. Psalm 109 Psalm 110
End of Psalm 109
God is at the right hand of the poor
persecuted man
Start of Psalm 110
A man, the Lord, is called to the
right hand of God, made like
Melchizedek

12. Psalm 109
The poor man
The Jesus figure
Psalm 110
God at
The poor
man’s right
hand
A man seated
and like
Melchizedek at
the right hand
of God
God at
the poor man’s
right hand
A man
defeating
enemies (with
God at his right-
hand
(Drinking water
shows
humanity )
God at
The man’s
right hand
defeating
enemies
The anti-friend
The betrayer
The Judas figure
An accuser at
The anti-friend’s right
hand A Devil figure
An inappropriate response to love
And a betrayal by the anti-friend
A man seated in a remarkable place
Made like Melchizedek
Seated until I make your enemies a footstool for your
feet:
Enemies made a footstool, the man actively involved:

13. Another bookend (inclusio)
The second such bookend
God defeats his enemies Psalm 110 second half

15. This second set of Psalms
will transition from the
glimpse of the gospel of
108-110 with two twin
acrostic psalms 11-112
and the start of the
Passover Psalms in Psalm
113

16. Two short twin acrostic Psalms as transition:
• The Blessed God Psalm 111
God’s righteousness endures forever said once
God shows the power of his works to His servants and
giving them the inheritance of nations
(the Son inherits nations in Psalm 2 and the Meek inherit the earth in the Son in Psalm
37)
• The Blessed Man Psalm 112
Picks up where Psalm 111 left off
The blessed man’s righteousness endures forever said
three times
He who provides seed for the Sower and bread for the eater drawn from Psalms 111-
112 in Corinthians

18. Psalms 113 through 118 will be Passover songs
and start with an echo of 108 through 110
• The LORD seated in heaven reaches down
• Poor men raised (contrast with the poor man
singular in 109)
• Seated with princes (contrast with the man
singular seated at the right hand of God in
110)

19. Inclusio (aka bookends) of 3 uses
of the right hand of God at the
start and end of a run of Psalms
Ends with Psalm 118
First, Psalm 108 psalm 109 and Psalm 110 will all mention ‘the right hand of God’
as one bookend
A section of Psalms with pictures of redemption and salvation in between
Second, Psalm 118 will have a triple consecutive uses of the right hand of God as
the other and the second inclusion bookend

20. Psalm 113
• An Echo
• An echo of the poor man seated with God made like
Melchizedek (Ps 109 110)
• Now poor men are seated with princes
• The barren one has children
• Like Sarah
• Like the song about Sarah immediately following
Isaiah 53 (highlighted in Galatians)
Written as if by a narrator/observer

21. Psalm 114
• Making much of the Exodus
• Paving the way for a greater exodus
• Recounting how God changes things
• Seas dry up (to walk through)
• (Unmovable) mountains move
• (dry) rocks in desserts gush water
Written as if by a narrator/observer

22. Psalm 115
• Save us
Written as ‘we’, 1st person plural

23. Psalm 116
• A thankful praise begins
• Suffering and distress recounted in between
• Even the suffering of death (precious in your sight if
the death of your servant)
• The suffering servant self identifies
• I am your servant the son of your maid servant
(maidservant as in Mary’s statement from Luke
• A thankful praise ends
Written as ‘I’, 1st person singular

24. Psalm 117
• An invitation to the gentiles interrupts the flow
• Come join the covenant goodness of God!
(only 2 verses but quoted and alluded to in Romans at least
2 times)
Written as if by a narrator/observer

25. Psalm 118
• Something critical is emphasized
• Enter the gates of salvation
• The stone the builder rejected
• This is the day the LORD has made
Written as if by a narrator/observer

26. By length,
between shortest
and longest Psalms
By person
117 being by a
narrator/observer
116, 118, 119
mostly 1st person
singular and “I”
And the 3 consecutive referenced to the right hand of God (almost always used
for salvation) Completed a bookend with psalm 108, 109, 110
An emphasis triple weaved around Psalm 118

27. Psalm 119
• A relentless reception of God’s word
Every verse (or almost very verse) affirming the Bible
• A relentless dependence on God in prayer
Most verses are prayers to keep God’s word
• A heartfelt cry
All stanzas have a heart response of God or man
(love or delight or singing)
Mostly written in the first person

28. The second run of Psalms may
correspond to the Second sermon
of Moses which is in
Deuteronomy chapter 5 through
the end of chapter 29 and
concerns right worship and right
living
All three runs will circle back in
some way to the Exodus
A second sermon of Moses
and a Second run of Psalms
with Psalms 120 though 134.

29. Psalms 120 to 134 Road songs to
the temple, the house of God
The centermost Psalm is a ‘Psalm of Solomon’ the builder
of the House

30. Psalm 120 will start with a cry of distress Like the prodigal
son, he recounts being in distress in a far country.
He is among people not for peace, citing one place to the
north of Israel (Meshack) and one place to the south (Kedar)
A movement and longing in his heart. I am for peace. They
are for war. The singer longs for the temple and peace.
Psalm 120
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

31. The mountains can be a place of danger and the singer lifts his
eyes to the hills and thinks of a God who helps.
God’s help is day and night. Whether awake or asleep.
Psalm 121
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

32. He was glad when asked to sojourn to Jerusalem!
Even standing there in Jerusalem in person is exciting!
He longs for peace before and now prays for the peace of
Jerusalem (perhaps at the temple)
Psalm 122
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

33. Psalm 123 is a rare rhyming jingle like psalm. Rare to have a
rhyming psalm in Hebrew.
Before he lifted his eyes to the hills and hoped for help from
danger. Now, he lifts them higher than the hills to God
Psalm 123
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

34. A retrospective
Another song on God’s help
If God had not helped us in the past, we would have perished
Psalm 124
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

35. Before he lifted his eyes to the hills which were a source of
danger
Now he sees with God’s help, believers are like immovable
mountains
Psalm 125
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

36. A retrospective and a forward looking prospective!
When we were restored before it was like a wonderful dream
Do it again!
Psalm 126
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

37. A rare ‘Psalm of Solomon’ (the other is Psalm 72) both heavily point
to Jesus
They are journeying to ’the house of God’ and ‘house’ can be
understood on several levels. House of God, home, city, nation…
Unless the LORD (the greater than Solomon) builds the church (the
greater than the temple) it is in vain. And the same goes for house
of God, home, city, nation…
Psalm 127
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

39. God builds the house of the blessed man, and it will remain.
(applicable to house of God, home, city, nation…)
Lasting fruit a blessing.
Psalm 128
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

40. A retrospective
The journey has had sorrows and sufferings.
It was like people plowing my back like you plow a field.
Psalm 129
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

41. A present cry and a future hope
Out of the depths I cry to you!!!
But God’s mercy are ‘plenteous !
Psalm 130
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

42. They will be like 3 little diamonds around one big Psalm 132
on ‘remembering the sufferings of David and the glories
promised’
Psalm 131, 133, 134 are 3 verse Psalms
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

43. A 3-verse reminder on the importance of humility
Psalm 131
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

44. The longest road song, song of ascent. Remember the
sufferings of David. Remember what he went though to
prepare for the building of the temple. Remember the
promises to him of children who will reign (if they are
obedient).
Psalm 132
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

45. A 3-verse reminder on the blessings of brothers dwelling
together in peace
Psalm 133
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple

46. Psalm 134
Psalms of Ascent – Road songs to the temple
A 3-verse reminder that even the night shift in the temple is
blessed

47. The third run of Psalms may
correspond to the Third sermon of
Moses which is in Deuteronomy
chapter 30 through the end of
chapter 34 and concerns
obedience, judgement and
consequences
All three runs will circle back in
some way to the Exodus
A third sermon of Moses and
a Second run of Psalms with
Psalms 135 though 145.

48. Psalms 135 and 136
Two long praise and thanks Psalms
These will significantly refer to the
Exodus event.

49. Psalm 137
A Transition. A lament.
By the Rivers of Babylon, we hung up out harps
And wept
Psalm 135
and Psalm 136 are praise and
thanks about the Exodus and deliverance Psalm
137 feels out of place and is sung from Babylon
in captivity and is a lament
Then David picks up his harp and
sings his heart out from
Psalms 138 to 145

50. We hung up out harps and cannot sing
Psalm 137
God will make all kings sing
Psalm 138

52. Issues particularly seen in both
Psalms 139 and
Psalm 141
David strongly opposes enemies but
Wants God to keep and hold back his
heart from evil

53. Issues seen in
Psalms 144
The nations well being is tied to
The well being of one person ‘the David’

55. Issues seen in
Psalms 144
The right hand of God is associated with salvation, so much
so the man whose name is related to ‘he shall save His
people from sins” is at God’s right hand in Psalm 110
There are also warnings not to trust in princes (and merely
human power) and further not to trust in
A man who has a lie in his right hand. AKA humanism.

56. Psalm 145 is the last
Psalms ‘of David’
And will be an acrostic of Praise
A Praise Psalms from A to Z
(Aleph to Tov actually)
Issues concern:
• The works of God
• The Mercies of God
• The provisions of God
• The deliverances of God

57. And at the last act of Moses, he climbs
mount Pisgah and views the promised
land
These may correspond to the last 5
psalms, Psalm 146 through 150, which
look forward to a greater promised land

58. The 5 Psalm finale of Psalms
Will ‘view the land’ only this is the
greater promised land and make.
A final ending of not only book 5
but an ending of the 5 books of
Psalms.
A postscript epitaph of
Deuteronomy has Moses
climbing Mount Pisgah and
viewing the land.

59. A fireworks of Psalms finale!
Psalms 146 though 150
Psalms 146 and 147 will significantly contain
Some aspects of the job description of the Messiah

60. Psalm 146 and
Psalm 147
Psalms 146 leads off preaching to self
• Praise the LORD! Oh, my soul!
The first few of the last 5 Psalms contain aspects of the
job description of the Messiah:
• Setting captives free
• Opening blind eyes
• Healing the broken hearted
And also
• Helping the fatherless and widow
• Helping the sojourner

61. Psalm 148
Praise the LORD
• Starting from the heavens
• Angels
• Sun and moon
• Mountains
• Both Fruit trees and non-fruit trees
• Both Beasts and livestock
• Creeping and flying
• Kings and others
• Old and young
Everyone and everything

62. Psalm 149
A new song
Victory
High praise of God in their mouths on their beds
A sword in one hand
A fight going on

63. Psalm 150
Let everything and all known musical instruments come
together and skillfully praise the LORD
(no mention of evil)

64. Key changes in the Psalms
Book 5 of Psalms
Coming Home !
Poetically like Deuteronomy
Pointing to entering the greater promised land
with a greater salvation than the Exodus.
fin’
Suffering and glory
The myriad uses of musical dissonance: above, a
caricature of Arnold SchoenbergCredit...Ralph Steadman
See Musical Dissonance, From Schumann to Sondheim -
The New York Times (nytimes.com)